Pentax67 - Reliability

[brian_ellis]

I have owned a Pentax 67 for two and a half years. During that time it has broken down three times - once the TTL meter stopped functioning, and the other two times the film advance/shutter cocking crank stopped functioning. I am curious as to whether other owners have had these or other problems with the camera or whethr perhaps I just own a lemon. I've had 35mm and 4x5 cameras for as long as twenty years and have had fewer problems with them than I've had with the Pentax in two and a half years.

[rich_lerman]

have problems with film advance/shutter cocking/mirror locked in the up position 3-4 times over six years in a very lightly used camera.

 

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in addition, spacing between frames are not equal.

[glenn_finerman]

I've owned a P67 for just under two years now and have had

only good luck with the camera and lenses. Never had a jam,

never a problem. The image quality continues to amaze me!

[chet_provoda]

So far I've had two problems with a quite old P67 that I bought used. One was a light leak and the other was irregular frame spacing. After an overhaul the light leak was gone, but still had irregular spacing. After a second repair (clutch mechanism cleaned and lubed), I'm still getting irregular spacing. Other than that the camera has worked perfectly!

[jim_sabo]

I've had my P67 for about 3 years now, and it was used when I got it.

The camera has shot at least 200 rolls of film without any failure. 2 months ago my wife and I were walking at the park. I had my camera in a non-photo fanny pack. The pack unzipped itself as I walked and deposited my camera on the pavement from waist level. The meter and the rubber eye cup took the brunt of the abuse. The camera lost a couple of cosmetic points but everything still functions fine.

 

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Once I thought my meter was broken. Then I discovered that if the meter prism and a lens are removed and not replace in the right order, the meter will not work.

 

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Someone commented on uneven frame spacing. A local repairman said this is a common phenomenon with the type of film advance Pentax uses. The spacing on mine got more consistent as I got more consistent with my operation of the advance lever.

 

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Sorry to hear you're having problems.

 

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Jim

[mike_long]

My previous PX67 had a problem where it only gave me 9 frames. Because of the time it takes to send it in, I didn't try to fix it for a long time. Eventually, when I sold it, I sent it to a repairman (not Pentax!) and he _finally_ got it right. My current one is fine and both had regular spacing.

 

 

 

Mike

[mikael_forslund]

The crank:

The local Pentax representative told me that the film advance/shutter cocking crank

mechanism has been known to break down if You use to much force when advancing

or advance very fast.

 

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Mirror problem in Rich Lermans answer:

A simple reason for the mirror to stop partway up is that the P67 is designed to do this if

the battery is going flat. I presume that this was not the case for Rich but I suppose that a

contact problem giving resulting in too low battery voltage would make the P67 behave in

the same way even if the battery is new.

[bob_cook]

I have two bodies that I've been using for about two years with no problems at all. Regarding uneven frame spacing: I've never had an overlap; and I have very little uneven spacing as long as I take care to start the film properly, applying pressure to the full roll as I wind on the start of the film on the take up spool.

 

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B.

[paul_richey]

I bought a used Pentax 6x7 with TTL meter and 90mm leaf shutter just over a year ago and have experienced no problems at all, in fact I really enjoy working with it.

[chet_provoda]

I'd like to amend my earlier response to this question, regarding the uneven spacing. I've discovered through trial and error (and through reading this among other postings!) that the problem I was having with spacing was probably due to me rather than the camera. I followed someone's advice (sorry, but I've forgotten who) and maintained tension on the full roll during the loading process, something I was never careful about beforehand. I'm no longer having spacing problems. In short, I'm even happier with my Pentax than I was before.

[joe_johnson2]

About a year and a half ago just after I'd been using my new P67 for about 3-4 months, I did something pretty ignorant. I was shooting color chome 220 film and decided I wanted to change film mid-roll after about 2 frames. I surmised that I could just flip the film over and reload it after I had finished the B&W 120 roll I had just put in. I figured I'd just shoot about 16 frames and advance to the end past the frames I had already shot. BIG MISTAKE.

 

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I didn't realize the paper backing was attached only to the ends and I wound up jaming the whole thing up. When it got difficult to advance, I applied too much force and stripped the mechanism. This was all totally my fault. Nevertheless, the camera was still in warranty and I sent it back to Pentax with an explanation of my stupidity. They fixed it without giving me any hassles and it's worked perfectly ever since (and beforehand, I might add). I'm very satisfied with both the camera and the Pentax folks in Colorado.

[jim_sabo]

I just found another thing to watch out for. The other day as I finished a roll of E100SW, 120, the winding lever locked up. Since I was fairly sure I was near the end of the paper tail, I opened the back. The paper seal strip had wound around the tensioner near the take-up spool, and jammed everything. Fortunately I hadn't forced the lever and nothing was damaged.

[gary_stuebben]

I bought my first Pentax 67 in 1985, and by 1991 had put over 1,000 rolls of film through it. The camera was just starting to have a film advance problem (excessive winding pressure, undeven spacing between frames) when it was stolen. After collecting insurance proceeds, I immediately purchased a second camera and now - again 6 years and 1,000 rolls later -- the camera is starting to have film advance problems. This time, the film is not winding onto the takeup spool correctly (only a problem with Kodak, not Ilford paper backing). Also, the TTL meter is now erratic when first turned on. Both cameras were kept in cases except when actually being used, and neither was subjected to rough handling.

 

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My overall impression: the Pentax 67 is solid and reliable, but develops problems as the mileage increases. Film advance, shutter cocking, and TTL are the weak links in an otherwise wonderful camera. The up side to this is that the body is relatively cheap, and so is Pentax's factory service! When far from home, carry an extra body (not bad advice for any camera).

[steve_rasmussen]

After ten years of hauling my Pentax 67 all over the world, I've had few problems. Relating to the original question, I had a meter problem once or twice in extremely humid weather. My hands had become oily from the equitorial conditions and with my handling of the lenses and body, the contact between the lens and mount had become oily enough to affect the meter. My only problem with film advance is with Kodak Ektar 25, 120. The paper used to seal the roll closed at the end of the roll gets caught in the chrome tesioner bar. This is the only film that does this. Both problems above are not caused by the camera.

Steve R.

[mark_alan_wilson1]

Re: Mirror sticking in up position. As mentioned earlier, this can happen when the batteries are low/dead. After installing new batteries, the mirror can remain stuck. To release, find the very small, flush button below the "67" and off to the side of the mirror lock slide. Push the button (I use the corkscrew on my swiss army knife) and the mirror will slap down.

[bill_davis1]

I bought my Pentax 67 new in January 1982 and have taken it all over the world(mainly packed in an inconspicuous no-name back-pack for security reasons !!).

 

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Apart from a slight problem with shutter curtains after the first couple of years(I was getting slightly less exposure on the last millimetre or so of each frame - probably due to a knock mountaineering), I have had no problems whatsoever with my camera. It's now looking a bit 'brassy' but it functions perfectly. The lenses, as other commentators note, are absolutely wonderful...

[felix_takumar1]

Have read the postings and join the camp who have few problems.

I have seen the erratic film spacing, but it's always on the slack

side rather than tight side -- never close to overlap. Pentax in the

early 1980s improved the strength of the advance gears and winding

mechanism to answer concerns with earlier cameras. But I had a 1971

that also had NO troubles by the time I traded out a few years ago.

New one since then also flawless. Can't say either has been gently

used, either. One caveat -- do NOT take anyone's advice to hold your

thumb on the supply reel while turning the first turn of the leader

paper to make it tight. That can really stress things, I saw early

on, and never established what I believe is a bad habit. Also have

never had an unspool default, so just pay attention to the first

revolution of the paper and it won't fall out, I promise.

[kaye_richey]

In the 12 years or so that I've owned my 6x7, it has been very

reliable. Any problems I had were human error or ignorance on my part.

The lastest was last week after finishing a shoot, I was winding the

lever to take up the last of the film. Near the end, it became stiff.

Not wanting to lose the shots I had, I forced it only slightly and lo

and behold, the gear mechanism broke. Not smart. I saved the film, but

lost the use of the camera. What had happened was the gummed paper

that's used to seal the exposed roll got caught on the take-up reel

and stuck there. Maybe the Panama humidity. Advice: please, please be

careful when your camera is trying to tell you something. Don't force

it to do something it doesn't want to do. It's not worth the hassle.

These aren't F2's that can be treated like mud. Other than that, the

camera has been good to me in all climates and terrains.

[mark_spencer1]

I recently sold my Pentax 6X7, after discovering that Pentax

no longer supports the "older" Non-MLU cameras. If anyone has

the older body, I would suggest either finding a spare junked

body for parts, find a repair shop that has parts, sell the

camera for the new version, or cross your fingers....